رحلة مع ابن العربي

The spiritual opening is not attained through rational proof,

nor can it be grasped by one who has not tasted it.

Ibn Arabi presents the reader with a test:
The book is not to be read as theoretical jurisprudence,

nor as philosophy,

nor as symbolic poetry.

Rather, it is to be read on three levels:
The apparent meaning of the words
Their allusions
What they indicate to the one for whom the opening has been granted
And here the true path begins.

The required inner state before delving into the names:
Tranquility.
Preparation.

Day One — The Secret of the Opening
Original Text
The Sheikh said in the introduction:

“I did not write this book after thought and deliberation,

but rather it was dictated to me by a divine inspiration.”

The Focused Paragraph
Ibn Arabi does not present the book as an intellectual endeavor,